Art-Making Activity: Musical Memories
Learn about Beauford Delaney’s inspiration behind his portrait of Marian Anderson and create your own music-inspired work of art.
Who was Marian Anderson?
Marian Anderson was a famous singer and performer between 1925 and 1965 in America and Europe. On April 9, 1939 she sang the National Anthem on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after being told she could not sing at a nearby concert hall because she was Black. Over 75,000 people attended the concert and Anderson became an important symbol of racial equality.
The artist Beauford Delaney first met Anderson the next year and was so inspired by her talent that he made the portrait of her (on the right) 25 years later from memory! In this “memory” portrait, Delaney wanted to show Anderson’s beautiful voice and he used yellow as the main color because he felt it represented how perfect she was.
Watch her famous performance below!
Feeling inspired by Beauford Delaney’s memory portrait of Marian Anderson? Create your own musical work of art by following the instructions below.
CREATE
Can you think of a time in your life that music inspired you, like it did for Beauford Delaney? Whether it’s a song you heard on the radio, a family member’s old acoustic guitar, or the soundtrack to your favorite movie that makes you feel like a superhero? Try to recall details from that memory. What were you doing while you listened to the music? How did it make you feel? What in that memory stands out to you the most? Use this memory as inspiration for this activity.
Materials
- Drawing paper
- Drawing and coloring utensils
- Optional: scissors, glue, decorative paper
Instructions
Click through the steps below to create your own musical work of art!
